November 6 2025. KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky.

Photo by Go Cards.com

 

On Thursday night, the Louisville Cardinals were victorious in their second game of the 2025-26 season, starting 2-0 for the first time since the 2021-22 campaign.  The Cards defeated the Tigers of Jackson State by a score of 106-70.  Fueled on the offensive end by four scorers in double figures, the Cards also forced 25 Jackson State turnovers and held the Mo Williams-led Tigers to under forty percent from the field.  There are many takeaways from the Cards’ victory on Thursday, so let’s examine the strengths and concerns on both the stat sheet and the court after the first two games.  We will also look ahead at how the Cardinals will fare against the Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday.

 

The Strong Points

 

The Cardinals scored more than 100 points in each of their first two contests to begin the second year of the Pat Kelsey era, doing so in back-to-back games for the first time since 2010.   The Cardinals shot fifty-two percent from the field and outrebounded Jackson State by twenty, with fifteen of the Cardinals’ forty-nine boards coming from the offensive end.  Through 2 games, the Cardinals are averaging 13.5 offensive rebounds and 48 total rebounds per game.  The Cardinals rank 18th in the country in total rebounds.  

 

In both games, Louisville has shot over fifty percent from the floor.  German big man Sananda Fru has shot an impressive seventy-five percent from the field, averaging 12.5 points in his first 2 games as a college athlete.  This Cardinal team has seven of its eleven-man rotation shooting fifty percent or better from the field.  The eleventh man, Kasean Pryor,  returned to the floor last night for the first time since November 29th of last year, when a season-ending injury in the Bahamas against Oklahoma occurred.  In his return to the court on Thursday, Pryor received a standing ovation from the home crowd when he entered the game at the 16:27 mark of the first half.  The senior from Chicago, who highlighted the adversity of his college career in the post-game press conference, would finish his return with six points in sixteen minutes.  This additional piece, added much like Jaland Lowe’s return to the court for the Kentucky Wildcats on Friday, adds depth to a team with high aspirations to make a run in March beyond the second weekend.  

The Cardinals have especially thrived in paint points early into the season, outscoring their two opponents 92-44.  The physicality, size, and skill of Fru and senior Aly Khalifa have allowed for plenty of opportunities in the paint and proper spacing of the floor to let their backcourt drive to the basket.  Louisville has done a great job so far on taking advantage of gaining mixmatches through screens and heavy ball movement.  The physicality and priority of paint involvement had led the Cardinals to get to the line at an impressive rate as well.  On Thursday, Louisville earned the 1-and-1 bonus just over eight minutes into the game and went on to draw 22 total fouls.  Through two games, the Cards have attempted sixty-eight free throw attempts, converting fifty-two of them at a 76.5% clip.  If Louisville continues to utilize their size and finesse, expect the Cardinals to give a lot of teams problems at the line, putting their opponents at a great disadvantage.

 

In addition to the high-scoring offense, the defense has been impressive.  In two games, the Cardinals have forced 37 turnovers and held their first two opponents to 31.7 percent from the field and 28.3 percent from three.  Kobe Rodgers leads the team with 6 steals, followed by Kennesaw State-transfer Adrian Wooley and Greek forward Vangelis Zougris with 3 each.  In Louisville’s next matchup against its rival Kentucky, expect the Wildcats to shoot better than those percentages and commit far fewer turnovers.  

 

The Concerns

 

Although the Cards have won handily by an average of 47.5 points in the first two contests, there are a few things for fans to be cautious and concerned about before their next one.  The Cardinals have committed 27 turnovers against subpar competition, matched with stretches of sloppy play.  They have begun each of their two games with a turnover on the first possession, and have performed stretches of two or more turnovers on consecutive possessions a few times.  As any competent team may undergo early-season struggles, fans and viewers should expect some sloppy play and tough stretches against a tough matchup like Kentucky.  However, fans and viewers should also hope to have these struggles cleaned up and decreased by the end of the month, as the Cardinals open the month of December against four straight tournament-caliber teams.

 

Another concern is the three-point shooting.  Any fan of college basketball who has watched a Pat Kelsey team knows his teams shoot many threes per game.  The Cardinals have shot just over half of their total shots from deep (50.4%).  Although the team is shooting very well from the field, Louisville has not shot particularly well from behind the arc.  This is especially in the second half, as the Cards are shooting 40.5 percent on 37 attempts from three in the first half, followed by their 7-of-28 shooting from deep in the second half.  Luckily, this is a team that thrives off their hustle and pace of play, which allows for their second-chance points from deep or the paint.  

 

Preview for Tuesday’s Matchup

 

Both the Cats and Cards will enter Tuesday’s contest 2-0.  On Friday, the Wildcats had an impressive 48-point win over Valparaiso, with each of Kentucky’s starters scoring in double figures.  Kentucky leads the overall series 40-17, and is 28-14 since 1983 (during the modern era).  Louisville hopes to win its first game against Kentucky since 2020, and this year proves to give them the best chances to do so.

 

Kentucky is a team through two games that has thrived in rebounding and isolating their ball-handler, utilizing backdoor cuts and screens to allow for high percentage shot attempts and fair assist totals.  While Louisville ranks 18th in the country in rebounding with 48 per game, the Wildcats rank 10th through 2 games with 50.5 per game.  Florida-transfer Denzel Aberdeen is a Kentucky guard with effective athleticism and precision shot-making ability expected to give Louisville problems.  Pittsburgh-transfer Jaland Lowe played Louisville twice last season, averaging 20 points and 5 assists against the Cardinals.  Although Louisville won both games against the Panthers, Lowe is a talented now-Kentucky guard who is uber-talented and familiar with Louisville’s offense and ability.  

 

Kentucky freshman Malachi Moreno is another Wildcat who can give the Cardinals issues on Tuesday night.  The 7-footer has averaged 11.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game to begin his college career; with footwork, size, and the ability to locate the ball on missed shots, Moreno’s talent could prove a rough outing for Fru and Khalifa of the Cards.  

 

I predict a Cards win off the backs of Louisville’s backcourt.  Although the struggles of second-half deep-range shooting through two games have occurred for the Cards, expect better second-half shooting and double-figures from Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneely, and freshman standout Mikel Brown Jr.  Mark Pope and the Wildcats struggled with Georgetown’s pace of play in their preseason exhibition, and struggles against the Cards’ pace should be no different.  

 

Time: 8:00pm E.T. Tuesday, November 11

Location: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky

Network: ESPN

Prediction: Louisville 92, Kentucky 86